Bin lid

ABSTRACT

A lid for a grain bin or other storage bin is provided. The lid can be provided on top of an opening to the bin and positionable between a closed position and an open position. The lid can include a panel having a first section and a second section, the first section having a first side and a second side and the second section having a first side and a second side, the second side of the first section pivotally connected to the first side of the second section and the first side of the first section pivotally connected proximate one side of the opening. The lid can be placed in an open position by pivoting the first section around its first side, substantially exposing the opening, and wherein the lid can be placed in a closed position with the panel substantially covering the opening.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention is in the field of lids for grain and other storage bins.

BACKGROUND

Bins are commonly used in agriculture and other industrial applicationsto store grains and other materials. These bins typically have anopening in the top of the bin through which material is loaded into thebin. These openings must be covered by a lid so that the opening can becovered when the bin is not being loaded to prevent water, snow, etc.from entering the bin.

However, these bins are often quite tall. It is desirable to have thebin lid constructed in such a way that it can be opened easily. It hasalso be recognized that because of the height of these bins it is notalways practical to have a person climb on top of the bin in order toopen and close the lid. Not only is it time consuming to do so, but itis also somewhat dangerous.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect, a lid for a bin is provided. The lid can be provided ontop of an opening to the bin and positionable between a closed position,where the lid is covering the opening, and an open position, where thelid is uncovering some or all of the opening. The lid can include apanel having a first section and a second section, the first sectionhaving a first side and a second side and the second section having afirst side and a second side, the second side of the first sectionpivotally connected to the first side of the second section and thefirst side of the first section pivotally connected proximate one sideof the opening. The lid can be placed in an open position by pivotingthe first section around its first side, substantially exposing theopening, and wherein the lid can be placed in a closed position with thepanel substantially covering the opening.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

While the invention is claimed in the concluding portions hereof,preferred embodiments are provided in the accompanying detaileddescription which may be best understood in conjunction with theaccompanying diagrams where like parts in each of the several diagramsare labeled with like numbers, and where:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a storage bin having a lid;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a lid for a storage bin in a closedposition;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the lid shown in FIG. 2 in an openposition;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a lid in another aspect shown in aclosed position;

FIG. 5 is a side view of the lid of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the lid of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 7 is a side view of the lid of FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 illustrates a lid 10 for a grain or other storage bin 100. Thelid 10 is provided to cover an opening 105 that leads into the bin 100.When grain or other material is to be loaded into the bin 100, the lid10 can be placed in an open position allowing access to the opening 105and a person can then use an auger (not shown) or other device to loadgrain or other material through the opening 105 and into the bin 100.

The opening 105 can be formed with a neck 110 that extends upwards fromthe top of the bin 100. The neck 110 can define the opening 105 so thatthe opening 105 is provided at the top of the neck 110. Material thatpasses through the opening 105 will pass through the neck 110 and intothe bin 100.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the lid 10 can be provided on top of theopening 105 defined by the tube 105. The lid 10 can be positionablebetween a closed position, where the lid 10 is covering the opening 105and preventing any material from passing through the opening 105, and anopen position, where the lid 10 is uncovering some or all of the opening105 allowing material to be introduced into the bin 100 through theopening 105.

The lid 10 can include: a top panel 20 having a first section 22 and asecond section 26; and a pair of guide rails 30. The first section 22 ofthe top panel 20 can have a first side 21 and a second side 23 and thesecond section 26 of the top panel 20 can have a first side 25 and asecond side 27. The first section 22 and the second section 26 can bepivotally connected by a hinge 24. The hinge 24 can pivotally connectthe second side 23 of the first section 22 to the first side 25 of thesecond section 26 so that the first section 22 and the second section 26pivot relative to one another around an axis, A, defined by the hinge24.

The pair of guide rails 30 can be provided substantially parallel to oneanother with one of the guide rails 20 passing adjacent to each side ofthe opening 105 of the bin 100. Each guide rail 30 can have a proximalend 32 and a distal end 34.

The first section 22 of the top panel 20 can be pivotally connected atits first side 21 to the guide rails 30 by a proximal hinge 40 locatedat or near the proximal ends 32 of the guide rails 30 so that the firstsection 22 can pivot around its first side 21 while the first side 21 ofthe first section 22 remains fixed in place relative to the guide rails30. The proximal hinge 40 can be attached to the guide rails 30, theneck 110 or both.

The second side 27 of the second section 26 can be positioned relativeto the guide rails 30 so that it can move along the guide rails 30. Inone aspect, wheels 38 can be provided that can roll along the top of therail guide 30 allowing the second side 27 of the second section 26 tomove along the rail guides 30.

In this manner, the top panel 20 can be opened by pivoting the firstsection 22 of the top panel 20 around its first side 21 causing thesecond side 23 of the first section 22 to move upwards from the pair ofguide rails 30 towards the proximal ends 32 of the guide rails 30. Asthe second side 23 of the first section 22 moves upwards from the guiderails 30 and towards the proximal ends 32 of the guide rails 30, thefirst side 25 of second section 26 will follow the movement of thesecond side 23 of the first section 22 because it is pivotally connectedto it by the hinge 24. As the first side 25 of the second section 26follows the path of the second side 23 of the first section 22, thesecond side 27 of the second section 26 will move along the pair ofguide rails 30 towards the proximal ends 32 of the guide rails 30 whileallowing the second section 26 to pivot upwards from the guide rails 20around the second side 27 of the second section 26. In one aspect, thesecond side 27 of the second section 26 does not need to be slidablyattached to the guide rails 30, but rather the force of gravity cancause the second side 27 of the second section 26 to maintain contactwith the guide rails 30 as the lid 10 is being opened.

As the lid 10 is being opened, the second side 27 of the second section26 will move along the pair of rail guides 30 towards the proximal ends32 of the guide rails 30, exposing more and more of the opening 105until the lid 10 reaches its final open position. In this open position,the opening 105 in the bin 100 should be uncovered by the top panel 20.

A lever 50 can be provided attached to the first section 22 of the toppanel 20 that can be used to move the lid 10 between the closed positionand the open position. The lever 50 can be provided attached to thefirst section 22 so that the lever 50 is spaced away from the first side21 of the first section 22 and extending upwards from the first section22.

A weight distribution pivoting arm 55 can be connected to the lever 50to aid a person opening the lid 10. The weight distribution pivoting arm55 can be connected near an end of the lever 50 so that there is aspacing between where the weight distribution pivoting arm 55 isattached to the lever 50 and the end of the lever 50 that is attached tothe first section 22 of the top panel 20.

A cable 70 can be connected to the weight distribution pivoting arm 55so that a user can move the lid 10 from its closed position to its openposition by pulling on the cable 70.

In one aspect, a stop arm 60 can be provided extending past the firstside 21 of the first section 22. The stop arm 60 can be positioned sothat the when the lid 10 is in the open position with the first section22 of the top panel 20 pivoted upwards from the opening 205 and the railguides 30, the stop arm 60 will be moved into a position adjacent to aside of the tube 110. A stop 62, such as a threaded bolt, can beprovided extending from the reinforcing arm 60 so that an end of thestop 62 contacts the side of the tubing 110 preventing the first section22 from being pivoted any further from the rail guides 30 around theproximal hinge 40, stopping the lid 10 from being opened any further. Inthis manner, the stop arm 60 and the stop 62 can be used to prevent thefirst section 22 from being pivoted over center (i.e. stopping the hinge24 from moving over the proximal hinge 40) and ensuring the weight ofthe first section 22 and the second section 26 will tend to force thelid 10 into the closed position when there is no force on the lid 10keeping it open.

In one aspect, the stop arm 60 may be angled downwards from the firstsection 22 so that it is moved closer to the tube 110 when the lid 10 isplaced in its open position.

In one aspect, the stop 62 provided on the stop arm 60 could beadjustable, such as a bolt threaded through a threaded aperture passingthrough the stop arm 60. This could allow the stop 60 to be adjusteddepending on where a user wants the stop 62 and stop arm 60 to stop thelid 10 from opening any further.

A rest stop 64 can be provided on the stop arm 60 so that the weightdistribution pivoting arm 55 can rest against the rest stop 64 when thelid 10 is not in the open position and a person is not pulling on thecable 70.

In one aspect, the guide rails 30 can be angled downwards so that thefirst section 22 and the second section 26 slope downwards when the lid10 is placed in the closed position. The guide rails 30 can be angleddownwards so that the lid 10 slopes downwards from the first side 21 ofthe first section 22 when the lid 10 is placed in the closed position.In one aspect, the top of the tube 110 defining the opening 105 can beangled downwards to substantially match the angle of the guide rails 30.In this manner, rain that lands on the lid 10 when the lid 10 is in itsclosed position will run down the sloping first section 22 and secondsection 26 rather than collecting and pooling on top of them.Additionally, the angle of the guide rails 30 can further enhance effectof the weight of the first section 22 and the second section 26 tendingto force the second side 27 of the second section 26 towards the distalend 34 of the guide rails 30.

In operation, the lid 10 can be used to load material such as grain orother crop material into the bin 100. The lid 10 will typically be inthe closed position when the bin 100 is not being filled with materialwith the first section 22 and the second section 26 of the top panel 20covering the opening 105 of the bin 100.

To load material into the bin 100 through the opening 105, the lid 10can be placed in it open position. A person situated on the ground cangrasp the cable 70 and pull the cable 70 so that a force is exertedtowards the top of the lever 50 causing the first section 22 of the toppanel 20 to pivot upwards from the opening 105 around the point wherethe first side 21 of the first section 22 is pivotally connected to therail guides 30. As the first section 22 is pivoted around its first side21, the first side 25 of the second section 26 will follow the movementof the second side 23 of the first section 22 and the second side 27 ofthe second section 26 will move along the rail guides 30 towards theproximal ends 32 of the rail guides 30 while allowing the second section26 to pivot around its second side 27.

The person pulling the cable 70 can continue to pull the cable 70 untilthe lid 10 is placed in its open position with the first section 22 andthe second section 26 of the top panel 20 positioned close to oneanother exposing the opening 105. If a stop arm 60 and stop 62 isprovided, the person can continue to pull the cable 70 until the stop 62provided on the stop arm 60 contacts the side of the tube 110,preventing the lid 10 from opening any further. With the lid 10 in theopen position, material can then be loaded into the bin 100 by loadingthe material through the opening 105 and into the bin 100.

Commonly, an auger (not shown) is used to load grain and other cropmaterial into a bin 100. With the lid 10 in the open position the toppanel 20 and specifically the second section 26 can be used as a guideto aid an operator of an auger in positioning the end of the auger overthe opening 105.

The weight of the first section 22 and the second section 26 will tendto cause the lid 10 to move back into the closed position if no outsideforce is exerted on the lid 10 to keep it in the open position. The usercan continue to pull on the cable 70 to keep the lid 10 in the openposition or they could secure the cable 70 in place causing the lid 10to remain in the open position, such as by tying the cable 70 tosomething.

When the material is done being loaded into the bin 100, the lid 10 canbe placed back into its closed position to cover the opening 105. Theweight of the first section 22 and the second section 26 can act tocause the lid 10 to revert to the closed position when a force is notapplied to the cable 70 and/or the lever 50. The weight of the firstsection 22 and the second section 26 will tend to cause the hinge 24 tobe forced downwards towards the rail guides 30 thereby forcing thesecond side 27 of the second section 26 along the rail guides 30 towardsthe distal ends 34 of the rail guides 30. In this manner, to place thelid 10 back into the closed position, the user simply has to slowlyrelease the cable 70 until the lid 10 has moved back into the closedposition. This allows the lid 10 to be placed in the closed positionwithout an outside force being applied to the lid 10 or requiringbiasing elements such as springs, tension rods, etc. to force the lid 10back into the closed position.

If the guide rails 30 are placed on an angle sloping downwards from theproximal ends 32 of the rail guides 30, this downward slope can serve toincrease the effect of gravity on the first section 22 and secondsection 26 further inducing the lid 10 to move back into the closedposition when an outside force is not being applied to the cable 70and/or lever 50.

FIGS. 4-7 illustrate a lid 210 in another aspect. This lid 210 issimilar to lid 10 shown in FIG. 1 and can include: a top panel 220having a first section 222 and a second section 226. The first section222 of the top panel 220 can have a first side 221 and a second side 223and the second section 226 of the top panel 220 can have a first side225 and a second side 227. The first section 222 and the second section226 can be pivotally connected by a hinge 224. The hinge 224 canpivotally connect the second side 223 of the first section 222 to thefirst side 225 of the second section 226.

The first section 222 of the top panel 220 can be pivotally connected atits first side 221 proximate one side of the opening 305 by a hinge 240so that the first section 222 can pivot around its first side 221 (axisC defined by hinge 40). The hinge 240 can be attached at one side of theopening 305.

In this manner, the top panel 220 can be placed in an open position bypivoting the first section 222 of the top panel 220 around its firstside 221 causing the second side 223 of the first section 222 to moveupwards from the opening 305 towards the side of the opening 305 whereaxis C is located. As the second side 223 of the first section 222 movesupwards from the opening 305, the first side 225 of second section 226will follow the movement of the second side 223 of the first section 222because it is pivotally connected to it by the hinge 224. As the firstside 225 of the second section 226 follows the path of the second side223 of the first section 222, the second side 227 of the second section226 moves towards the side of the opening 305 where axis C is located,allowing the second section 226 to pivot upwards from the opening aroundits second side 227. This can continue until the panel 220 is in itsopen position with the first section 222 and the second section 226positioned substantially adjacent one another and exposing a substantialportion of the opening 305 as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7.

A lever 250 can be provided attached to the first section 222 of the toppanel 220 that can be used to move the lid 210 between the closedposition and the open position. The lever 250 can be provided attachedto the first section 222 with one end of the lever 250 attachedproximate the second side 223 of the first section 222 with a brace 255causing the lever 250 to extend upwards at an angle from the firstsection 222.

A cable (not shown) can be connected to the lever 250 so that when auser pulls on the cable, the lever 250 moves the lid 210 from its closedposition to its open position.

In one aspect, a stop 260 can be provided extending past the first side221 of the first section 222. The stop 260 can be positioned so thatwhen the lid 210 is in the open position with the first section 222 ofthe top panel 220 pivoted upwards from the opening 305, the stop 260will be moved into a position adjacent to a side opening 305, preventingthe first section 222 from pivoting any further and preventing it fromthe second side 223 of the first section 222 from going over center.

In one aspect, the opening 305 can be angled downwards away from axis C.In this manner, when the lid 210 is in its closed position, the panel220 is angled downwards from the first section 222 to the second section226.

In one aspect, the first section 222 can be shorter than the secondsection 226. In this manner, the second side 227 of the second section226 will not hang down to the first side 221 of the first section 222when the lid 210 is in the open position, which can be best seen in FIG.7.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles ofthe invention. Further, since numerous changes and modifications willreadily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limitthe invention to the exact construction and operation shown anddescribed, and accordingly, all such suitable changes or modificationsin structure or operation which may be resorted to are intended to fallwithin the scope of the claimed invention.

1. A lid for covering an opening in a storage bin, the lid comprising: apanel having a first section and a second section, the first sectionhaving a first side and a second side and the second section having afirst side and a second side, the second side of the first sectionpivotally connected to the first side of the second section and thefirst side of the first section pivotally connected proximate one sideof the opening, wherein the lid can be placed in an open position bypivoting the first section around its first side, substantially exposingthe opening, and wherein the lid can be placed in a closed position withthe panel substantially covering the opening.
 2. The lid of claim 1further comprising a neck that extends upwards from the grain bin anddefines the opening.
 3. The lid of claim 2 wherein the opening is angleddownwards from the first side of the first section.
 4. The lid of claim1 further comprising a pair of guide rails positioned substantiallyparallel to each other and each guide rail passing adjacent to one sideof the opening and having a proximate end and a distal end.
 5. The lidof claim 2 wherein the guide rails are positioned so that the secondside of the second section can move along the guide rails when the firstsection is pivoted around the first section to move the panel into theopen position.
 6. The lid of claim 5 further comprising wheels providedon the second side of the second section.
 7. The lid of claim 5 whereinthe guide rails are provided at an angle downwards from the first sideof the first section.
 8. The lid of claim 6 further comprising a hingepositioned at the proximate end the guide rails and connected to thesecond side of the first section.
 9. The lid of claim 1 wherein theopening is angled downwards so that the first section and the secondsection slope downwards when the lid is placed in the closed position.10. The lid of claim 9 wherein the second section is shorter than thefirst section.
 11. The lid of claim 1 further comprising a leverattached to the first section.
 12. The lid of claim 11 wherein the leverextends upwards from the first section.
 13. The lid of claim 11 furthercomprising a pivoting arm connected to the lever.
 14. The lid of claim 1further comprising a stop extending past the first side of the firstsection and operative to prevent the first section from being pivotedover center.
 15. The lid of claim 14 wherein the stop is positioned sothat gravity will move the lid from the open to the closed position.